Escape (ON HIATUS)
by madeyouread
Summary: What if Kronos and his army DID end up winning the war? Camp Half-Blood becomes a training facility for the captured demigods, but a group of half-bloods think about another plan... Takes place after SoN, rated T for violence and minor swearing. ••I DON'T OWN PJO, EVEN THOUGH I REALLY WANT TO!••
1. Nightmare

**Hey! This is my new story...:D Keep in mind that this takes place after the war, SoN-MoA. But partly MoA, since Percy was at camp. It's confusing. :) **

* * *

"Scar? You awake?"

I rub my eyes.

"I am now," I grumble, "What's up?"

Nico sighs, and turns on his tiny flashlight, but makes sure to cover part of the beam. About three nights ago, two Apollo kids got taken from their cabin because the harpies saw their flashlights on after lights out.

We haven't seen them since.

Now, we're SUPER cautious. One slip-up, and Nico and I could be taken to who knows where! We're the only two Hades kids at camp right now, and I heard rumors about what Kronos does to Percy when _he_ gets in trouble. Or, when he _got_ into trouble.

Percy escaped—with Annabeth—a month ago. He used the water, and the naiads helped him.

"I had a...dream. You, you were there, and so was I, and then…then there was a group of demigods, and you went with them. You left me at the cabin, and went with them. Then, then, I don't know. Everything just faded."

Does this mean that I'm getting a chance to leave?

_But without Nico_, a nagging voice in my head says.

"Scarlett? Scaaar? Are you listening?"

"Uh, uh, yeah. I'm listening, just a little tired..."

"Cool. But one thing."

"Yes, Nico?" I say, the fact that it being 3am sinking in.

"If you do leave, will you take me with you?"

I almost laugh. Nico and I have been friends for as long as I've been in camp, which also adds onto the fact that he's my half-brother.

"Of course I would, stupid."

He slightly smiles, but it's one with wisdom and sadness.

"Good. I don't want to lose another sister."

I have nothing to say, and he seems to know that, so he just smiles, the wisdom gone.

"G'Night, Scar."

"Night."

Nico turns off the flashlight, and, eventually, falls back to sleep. I, on the other hand, stay awake, thinking about what he said.

Lose another sister. I knew who he was talking about, of course, but I never met Bianca. I only came to camp a few years ago, and I fought in Battle of the Labyrinth and Battle of Manhattan, alongside Percy and Nico.

Gods, I wish we had won the Battle of Manhattan. Then life wouldn't be as rough as it is now. Every day we're aching and groaning, but we still have to get up at 6 every morning, forge weapons, do drills, and—for the unlucky—go to war against Camp Jupiter.

You see, after Kronos and his army beat us in the Battle of Manhattan, he decided that not only did he want to capture Camp Half-Blood, but the Roman camp as well.

Just great.

So the Titan and every one of his moronic followers took innocent demigods, charmed them, and told them time after time to attack Camp Jupiter.

It failed—and still is failing— miserably. Nico and I were waiting for the day when we would be sent to Camp Jupiter-maybe Percy would recognize us and take us in; maybe he could reverse the charm.

Maybe...

I finally closed my eyes, and let my mind wander.

* * *

**So, did you like it? Sorry it's so short, I just wanted to kinda...idk. **

**I run on reviews, so review! **

**:D CCam**


	2. Dread

**Sorry that I was so slow in my update...been busy. Enjoy, make sure you R&R. I know that this is kind of short, but..deal with it! **

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I need reviews to fuel my (not so) creative genius! **

* * *

_CLANG!_

The sound of sword vs. sword left my eardrums ringing. Today was mostly training, then a small lunch break...then more training. Nico had archery right now, and I had sword-fighting with a few other kids, all partnered up.

"Oh-SLASH-my-CLANG-gods-SLICE-Cole-CRASH-cut-SWIPE-it-BANG-out!"

Cole Stephon put down his sword and laughed. I wiped sweat off my forehead, and stared at him in confusion.

"What? You're, like, _insanely_ awesome at sword-fighting!"

His laughing ceased. "Uh, no. You're way better than me—"

"No way! Did you notice how you totally DESTROYED me? _And_ you're two years younger!"

"Well..."

"Well, what? You're good—you just won't admit it."

"I guess so, but do you really think that I would be better than—"

"Yes!"

Cole grinned, his blue eyes gleaming. "Thanks!"

"No prob. How 'bout we go get some water?"

"Sure, that works."

We went to get something to drink, and a large rumble pierced the air, followed by an equally large amount of yelling. The other demigods in the group stop what they're doing, and stare as a blonde girl rushes into the amphitheater, her face red. Tears stream down her face as her gaze settles on me. And suddenly become worried. _What's going on?_

"Scarlett...S-Sc-Scarlett..."

"What?" I said, running to her side, with Cole on my heels,"Ash, what's wrong?"

"It's...it's N-N-Nico! He..."

"He what?" My voice rises as I fall into a panic.

"Nic-Nico was...he was helping-helping som-someone wwith th-th-their arrows...then a guy, then a guy rel-released his and n-now...now Nico..."

I know what she's going to say, and my heart fills with dread. But wait, what if he survived? What if he's fine? _But what if he isn't?_

"What...what happened? Is Nico okay? Can I see him? Where is he?"

"Scarlett," she said, her face turning solemn, "Scarlett, he's dead."


	3. Sea Green

**You probably hate me for killing Nico. Sorry, but it had to be done! A shout out to PERCY JACKSON, who turned 17...? 18...? on Saturday the 18th! Yay fictional characters! **

**Also, check out Graecus and Graeca and rangersrock. G&G have great Rick Rioridan fics, including one where Sadie and Carter have to...ahem...****_murder_**** Percy Jackson. :D**

**To whoever keeps 'Reporting Abuse' on me: I'm not doing anything wrong, please leave me alone. All I want to do is update, but I can't if my account is suspended, can I? **

**To everyone that hates me for not updating for a week and a half: Heh. Heh. Sorry! Partly blame the person/people mentioned in the small paragraph above. D:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. I want to own PJO, but I don't. **

* * *

I stood there in shock, not comprehending what Ash had said. My brother is dead? He was the only thing that kept me from leaving, from shadow-traveling out of this dump. We could've done it together, just left like Percy and Annabeth, but he reminded me how miserable all of the others are. He wouldn't let me leave: it was last night that he finally decided that if I went, he went with me.

We _were_ going to leave tonight.

Now, with Nico dead—and no one else in this camp able to shadow travel—I could go by myself. I could, but be guilt-ridden for the rest of my life. He was right. We shouldn't be in this situation in the first place, we should've won, but that still doesn't change the fact that me leaving will solve all my problems, or better yet, theirs. Now, there's _no way_ I'm leaving—not without other people. I won't be selfish, I just can't. It's like Nico is pushing me back, scolding me like a big brother should. _Scarlett! Why are you being such a jerk? You should help other people! Stop being so selfish!_

I stumble past Ashlynn and Cole, my voice frozen. The faces around me range from shocked to distraught to sympathetic, every single pair of eyes watching me as I flee the amphitheater, tears threatening to start streaming down my face.

Campers see me running, running toward the Hades cabin, opening and then slamming the door. What they don't see is me curling up in a ball in the corner, sobbing my eyes out. Grabbing stuff and chucking it at the walls. Just sitting, waiting for someone to tell me that it was all a prank, or that he _did_ survive the arrow. Feeling guilty for not doing as much with him, for rarely hanging out with him at camp. Wondering why _I_ had to deal with this. Didn't I already have enough on my plate, being the daughter of one of the Big Three? Being a prisoner of Kronos? Having almost NO friends? Now chucking stuff again. And then sobbing. And sobbing. And sobbing.

~§~ESCAOE

Eventually, I stopped, but didn't move, just stayed in the corner, fingering my ring. The ring that Nico said our dad picked out for Persephone, but she didn't like it, thinking that it was too dark and gloomy; possibly needing either bright yellow, or a brand new ring altogether.

A soft knock at my door makes me squeeze the sides of the ring, transforming it into a gleaming midnight-blue sword, double-edged, with a black leather hilt and made of Stygian Iron.

Whoever is at my door knocks again, and I still don't get up to answer them, but have my sword clutched tightly, ready to use if needed.

"Scar? Are you in there?" a soft voice calls. "It's just me, Brina."

My grip on the sword loosens, and I nudge the door open with my foot. Sabrina Wells, aka as the only other person I trust other than Nico and Percy, walked through the door, a sad look on her face. "Scarlett, I'm so sorr—"

"I don't want to hear it!" I snap, staring daggers at her. She recoils, and I feel bad. It's not her fault that Nico...that he...

"Sorry...hey, you missed dinner. It wasn't good today, only a biscuit and apple each. I grabbed two of both, though, in case you were hungry,"

The daughter of Triton set down a small, napkin-wrapped package: in it, a deep red apple and a crumbly—but warm—biscuit. I stared at it, but didn't make the effort to grab and take a bite.

"Thanks," I murmured, while pressing a gem at the bottom of the hilt. The sword then curled up, turning itself back into the ring.

Sabrina sighed. "No prob. I know what it feels like, to have a part of your family..."

Her sea-green eyes looked sad, as if she was remembering something she didn't want to remember. I knew what she was talking about: pretty much everyone in camp did, thanks to the Aphrodite girls and their love of gossip.

Brina's dad is Triton, another god of the sea, but her mom died when she was born. Triton ditched my friend, and instead, a satyr and nymph raised her. They live outside camp borders, or at least they did. When Kronos came to power, they left, taking all the dryads, nymphs, and satyrs with them. Sabrina was devastated.

"So, are you just going to stay in here?" she asked, the sad gaze gone.

"What else is there to do?"

"What _isn't_ there to do?"

"Get out of here."

She thought that over. Then, after a few minutes, it was as if a lightbulb lit up above her head, like in old cartoons.

"I've got it!"

"What now?" I said glumly, not wanting to do anything but mope.

Sabrina leaned in close, like how Aphrodite kids did before Kronos took over the camp, to talk about boys, or gossip. Her voice came out a whisper, barely audible.

"We're going to escape!"

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**R&R! **

**CCam**


	4. Complex

**:D "Yes!" you say, "SHE FINALLY BROUGHT IN MORE PLOT!"**

**:) Yup. And even more so in this chap. **

**R&R, not only with this story, but also ****_The Undesirables_**** as well! **

* * *

For the next hour, we analyzed the security, escape routes, and who we would take with us.

"Can't we take them all?" argued Sabrina.

I thought that over, but it seemed too unlikely.

"No."

She sighed. "Then who _can_ we take?"

I had thought that over, too. Obviously, Brina and I would be going, but who else?

As if she was reading my mind, Sab started naming half-bloods.

"Cole...maybe Ashlynn, too? And...who's that daughter of..aahg...it's on the tip of my tongue, Nem..Mn..Emoce—"

"Mnemosyne."

She contined on as if I wasn't even there. "Yeah, yeah, her, and...Uhhh...how 'bout Piper, too?"

"Sure. So...Cole, Ashy, Jez, Piper, you, me...that's five already."

The daughter of Triton but her lip, deep in thought. Her eyes lit up again, but she looked conflicted.

"What about that guy, Marcus?"

She had a good idea; Marcus _was_ a son of Ares, after all. He just seemed a little...tough...but that's exactly what we need.

"Yeah. We'll want him on our side."

"But that's six."

"We'll need help."

"Well yeah, but _six_?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Sab. One more than five."

"Shut up!" She said as she laughed. I checked my iPod—one of the few things that I _didn't_ throw at a wall—and cursed. It was already 9:30, and cabin check was in fifteen minutes. No way that we can get there without being seen in fifteen.

"Hey. Cabin check is in fifteen, you better go if you want to make it to tomorrow in one piece."

Her brows furrowed.

"What's tomorrow?"

"Strategy meeting."

A mysterious smile grew on her face. "Ahh. I better leave now, then. Bye."

* * *

"He's DEAD?" boomed a man sitting on a cold throne. He radiated energy, and right now, he was _not_ happy.

"Yes, ssssir. Nico DiAngelo died yesssterday, from an arrow. SSome kid in the archery range wasssn't paying clossse enough attention—"

"I don't care _how_ he died! This changes everything..."

"But..."

"But WHAT?"

The empousa swallowed.

"The girl. Sssscarlett. Sssshe'ss sssstill alive."

"What...?" He said, his mood suddenly curious.

"Kronosss, I sssaid ssshe—"

Kronos grabbed his scythe, and decapitated the monster, filling the room with a sulfur-y smell.

"Aaah. Piece and quiet. So...she's still alive? This makes things far more complex..."

* * *

When I stepped out of my cabin, and onto the grassy commons, I knew something was wrong.

No one was walking around, or mock swordfighting, or talking with their half brothers and sisters. The only sound I heard was the eerie chirping of birds, and nothing else.

Something moved in the corner of my vision, and I squeezed the sides of my ring. The dark blade glinted in the cheery morning rays of sunlight, and I tensed. When I whipped around, sword in hand, a man in a tux and a man in dark clothes looked at me. The tuxedo man was older, with grey hair, but still a suave look to him, like George Clooney or James Bond. The man in the dark clothes, however, was grim, with black hair and hypnotizing black eyes.

"What do you want?" I said. I tried to make my voice strong and confident, but instead it was shaky.

The suave man chuckled.

"Nothing! Well, at least not from you." He stuck his hand out, as if he expected me to shake it. "I'm Prometheus. This is Morpheus. And you are...?"

"Scarlett," I spat, and he drew his hand back. Prometheus had a sly smirk, and he exchanged a nod with Morpheus.

"You wouldn't happen to be a child of _Hades_, would you?"

"Yeah. I am. Got a problem?"

He sighed wistfully. "No, but I'm sorry it has to be this way."

"What way...?" I ask, cautious.

Morpheus lifted his hands and closed his eyes. I could feel myself slipping out of consciousness, and I tried to stay awake. Something in the back of my head told me to run, that these guys were bad. I started to sprint; my vision now merely slits.

"This way," Prometheus called, and that was the last thing I heard before my eyes closed and the ground rushed up beneath me.

* * *

**Oh snap! What's gonna happen to Scar? Is the strategy meeting still on? Where's my turkey sandwich?**

**Find out next chapter!**

**R&R!**

**CCam**


	5. Awakening

Awakening

* * *

WHAAAT? I FIIINALLLY UPDAAAATED?

Turns out that my turkey sandwich was in the fridge. ;D

I got my first flame; I would've kept it, but in a fit of rage, I deleted it. Sorry.

...what's gonna happen to Scar?

By the way, this is a long chapter. I made it just for you guys, to make up for my slowness. Plus, I've had writers block, AND when I do write, it ends up being poetry instead. I guess that's good...

Oh, yeah:

•••There is swearing, violence, and minor adult content in this chapter! Be warned!•••

* * *

The rush of water filled my ears. Prometheus and Morpheus held me by my feet, my head just inches away from the river's surface.

"We're so glad to have you as a member of the army!" yelled Prometheus over the loud noise. "We'll see you with Kronos soon!"

"No!" I screamed, and my head went under.

* * *

I cracked open my eyes, and stretched. I was on something soft and warm—a couch, maybe?

A couch?

Weird...but it seemed almost normal. In fact, everything about this seemed normal. The couch, the room I'm in, and even the three men that had walked into the room.

"Hi...?" I said warily.

One of the men looked startled, one smug, and one guilty; all three were vaguely familiar.

"Ah...hello, Scarlett."

"Do I know you?"

The one that spoke turned to his partners and smiled. "Good job. She has no idea what happened..."

I frowned. "Just because I 'don't know what happened' doesn't mean I'm deaf, y'know."

He whipped back, a scowl on his unmarred face. "Yes, I'm sorry about that...You do know me. I'm Kro—Kris, your father."

"You're my father?"

Kris nodded. "I have been for seventeen years!"

"Wouldn't I remember you, then? You seem a little familiar, but..."

"You suffered amnesia."

"Really? Huh."

"And, as a get-better present, you get to go to a camp!"

I stared at him dully. "A camp? Really?"

"Yes, a roleplay camp. You love to roleplay."

"Roleplay. I like...to...roleplay."

"And you like alt music. And the color black."

"Okay...?"

He looked offended.

"I just want you to know what you like. Scarlett, you've suffered a lot—"

"I know...I think...but, how did it happen?"

Kris looked uneasily at the two people behind him. One shrugged, his face showing no emotion at all. The other, probably a bit younger than the other one, and wearing a black "Mt. Olympus, Wisconsin Dells" sweatshirt spoke up.

"You were hiking, and tripped on something, a root, maybe? Then you fell, slammed your head on a rock, and..." he shuddered, "...it was terrible. Scar, you wouldn't believe how much blood there was...I had to carry you back to the Ranger's station, but by the time we got there, you had lost a lot of blood and were super pale."

"Uh...who are you?"

He looked worried, but half-laughed at the same time.

"Your cousin, Mo. We're, like, best friends."

I winced, trying to remember. No memories filled my head; something was missing.

"I-I'm sorry. I really don't remember you..."

His eyes looked sad, but he tried to stay happy, nonetheless.

"It's...ah...ok, I guess. I know you'll remember me soon...I hope..."

The last few words were barely audible, as if he wanted me and only me to hear them. Those words, the intimacy he put into them...it was almost as if we were dating.

_Gross, we're cousins!_

Kris cleared his throat. "We should probably get packing, you leave for camp tonight!"

I looked at him, astounded. "Tonight? Isn't that a little, I don't know, _soon_?"

"We want to get you back with your friends as soon as possible..."

"Friends?" I said. "They go to the camp, too?"

"Ah...yes. Your friend Sabrina is there, as well as..." he trailed off, trying to remember something, "...Cole, and a girl named Ashlynn...and..."

"And what? Who?"

"Nico. Your best friend, but he can't make it this year, so at the camp, his character is 'dead'...I think."

"You think?"

He smiled. "Yeah, you kind of explained it to me awhile ago. I didn't understand it much, but I know the theme—Greek gods and goddesses."

"Huh."

"Yeah, it was in the letter home to the parents, and I wasn't supposed to tell you, but, oh well. This year, I believe your character is a daughter of the Greek god Hades...Sabrina's is Triton—he's the god of the sea, son of Poseidon—and you all are pretending to actually be children of the gods. How cool is that?"

I nodded, and laughed a little. "It sounds fun...I can't wait to meet everyone."

I went to go pack in my 'room', and I found that nothing really was there to pack, except for a t-shirt saying "Camp Half-Blood", a pair of ripped skinny jeans, and a small, black ring with green gems on the sides. A backpack sat on a daybed by a window, and I pushed the curtain back and looked outside.

Traffic was sparse, but you could tell that it was a busy time of year. We were up high, maybe in an apartment, and I looked down. People dotted the sidewalk, carrying shopping bags and purses, or pushing strollers. A sign across the street read "Aaron's Pizza", and a street sign said "5th Ave." It had started to drizzle, and people were now rushing to stores and their cars.

A knock at the door made me jump, and I whirled around at the sound of Mo's soft voice.

"You really don't remember anything?"

"No... It's all a big blur, nothing makes sense. I kind of remember you, but only for a split second. I know who I am, but that's it. Only my name—nothing else."

"Oh..."

I looked down at my feet. "I'm trying really hard. I feel like I should know you, like we were..."

"Were what?"

Now I met his gaze. His eyes were a dark brown, swirled with black and gold. He looked back, and for a moment, I blushed. So did he.

"Were important to each other. I feel like you're not my cousin, but something else instead."

"Actually, there's someth—"

The other guy burst into the room, interrupting Mo mid-sentence, and giving me a hug. "Scarlett, you have to get going now! Tell Mo goodbye, and get your belongings together."

Mo shot him a death look, but he didn't seem to notice.

"And you are...?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Thom, your uncle. Mo is my...son."

I nodded, but something about the way he said 'son' made me suspicious. "Ok, ahhh...by the way, where are we?"

"New York, of course! Best city in the world...anyway, the camp is a few hours drive from here; you and Kris need to leave!"

"Got it, I'll be down in a sec."

Thom left, and I went back to meticulously packing every item, making sure it was perfect, so I could at least kill some time.

"Mo, what were you saying? Something you had to tell me?"

He looked away, at a small portrait on the wall, a depiction of about twelve or so people, all dressed in armor or flowing chiffon dresses. "Nothing...it's, it's nothing," he said quickly, strode to the door, and left. I stared after him, wondering what I did wrong. He seemed so flushed, so _guilty_, like he knew something he shouldn't know. It was obvious that he was hiding something, but I just don't know what.

I just don't know _anything_ anymore.

I grabbed the bag of my skimpy belongings, and Kris herded me into the passenger's side of a jet-black Audi.

"Even though it's only you and me," he said with a grin, "I like to travel in style."

He jumped into the driver's side, and the engine purred under us. We pulled out, and I waved goodbye to Thom, Mo nowhere in sight. Kris said that the camp was a couple hours away, and he turned on the radio as I gazed out the window. Aaron's Pizza eventually turned into Pizza Hut, then an empty field, and when I finally looked away from the window, my father said that we were almost there. He sounded excited but sad, and something else...being proud? It was like he was gloating...

When we arrived at what Kris said was "camp", I was confused. What lay before us wasn't a camp, it was a farm. Fresh, plump, and sweet-smelling strawberries went on for miles, and a small farmhouse sat just beyond a hill. On the hill there was a tall, sturdy pine tree, and a pile of rusty cords and pipes surrounded it.

Huh.

My father took me by the shoulders, handed me my tiny drawstring, and herded me up the hill.

"How do you like it?"

I frowned. "Like what? The strawberries? Is this the _camp_ you were talking about?"

He made a disapproving noise, and looked away.

"What? Am I supposed to remember every little detail? Should I read your mind?" I scoff.

"You don't see ANYTHING else? No cabins? Focus, Scarlett. Look hard."

He seemed very earnest, so I did; it was as if someone had flicked a switch. Now, there were a bunch of cabins, a volleyball court, an archery range, and a scaly dragon surrounded the pine, snoring softly.

I recoiled suddenly, and the dragon snapped awake, glaring and alert. "What...!?"

Kris put a hand on my elbow to steady me, like I was going to pass out, or have a panic attack, or die on the spot.

"Are you okay?"

Should I tell him? Would he think I'm crazy? I made my decision, my voice wobbly.

"I'm fine...what did you want me to look for? All I see are strawberries..."

His eyes narrowed, and for a second, I could see my death in them. It was as if a battle raged on behind those eyes, miniature explosions lighting them up in flames.

"Very well...the camp is at the farmhouse just beyond the hill. Here is your bag, I'll see you in a few weeks—"

"You're just going to leave me?!"

I yelled, but he had already hopped back in his Audi and was gone in an instant.

The hill wasn't steep; what scared me was the dragon only a mere 30 feet away. He glared at me with menacing eyes, but they were gentler than Kris', a sadness tinged to them. When I hiked past, he just lay his head down, and I caught a glimpse of a golden, shimmering wool vest, hanging on the lowest branch of the pine tree.

_Part of the props_, I told myself warily. _And so is the dragon..._

When I started my descent down the short berm, I was met by a tackle that sent me and the person tumbling. We came to a stop, and I sat up, trying to catch my breath. The girl before me looked estatic, her wavy brown hair tangled with grass and leaves.

Her teal blue eyes shone as she talked a mile a minute. "Wherewereyouiwassoworrieddid youleavewheredidyougohowdidy ougetout?!"

I held up my hands in surrender. "Waaait, who are you, and what are you talking about?"

She looked confused. "You...don't know who I am?"

"No...my dad said I suffered amnesia."

"Uh, no he didn't, that's like, impossible."

"No, it isn't. He just dropped me off here." _Rudely_, I should add.

"Wait, Scarlett...who is your dad?"

*That's easy. "Kris. And how do you know my name?"

"Wh-who's Kris?"

"My dad." _Duh_.

She shook her head vigorously.

"No, Scar, your dad is Hades. Not Kris. You're a kid of the Big Three. Do you remember your brother's name? Or mine?"

"Hades? Like, Greek—"

"Yes! Now, who is your brother?"

"What brother?"

"Nico. Half-brother. Do you remember what happened to him?"

"No..."

She looked at me with sad eyes. "You don't remember?"

"I really don't."

"Scar, he died three days ago. I'm so sorry..."

I was speechless. How do you respond to a girl you don't know that just told you that your half-brother (who you don't remember) died three days ago (which I don't remember), and my father is Hades, the god of the dead (which I'm pretty sure I'd remember)? Or was this a part of the roleplay? I decided to play along anyway, since you don't want to be the odd one out.

"Anyway," she said, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "I'm Sabrina Wells, your best friend and partner-in-crime."

I stared at her blankly.

"That was a _joke_," she added.

"Uh, okay, I'm Scarlett...Scarlett, uhh..."

Last name, last name, why can't I remember you?

"Logan," Sabrina filled in for me. "Your mom's last name was Logan."

"Got it...Scarlett Logan, ummm,"

She stood to her feet and held out a hand. "How 'bout we finish this in your cabin? I can show you around, too."

I grabbed her hand and she pulled me up, and I obliged. We were on our way, when I asked her about what she said about how I got out.

"Well, there's a charm out around the camp...it used to be that the monsters couldn't get in, but now it's made so that the demigods can't get out. To get out, you need an incredible amount of power, either being a child of the Big Three-type power, or a god. Or, I guess, in this case, a Titan."

"Huh."

"Yeah. I guess you made it easier. The Titans didn't have to do much work at all, since you're able to shadow travel. They go out first, then manipulate you to think of outside camp—or wherever they wanted you to be—and the next Titan comes after. I know that there was two...a kid of Hypnos saw two tall guys, one younger, one older, dragging some unconscious person." She shrugged while I looked horrified. "I guess that person was you."

"Yeah," I mumbled, "I guess so,"

We stopped walking at a small, black slate cabin. There were green torches blazing on the outside, making it seem even gloomier than it already was. Sabrina stepped inside, then motioned me to follow, her eyes not meeting my gaze.

Debris was strewn everywhere, from an old alarm clock to a sketch of a scowling girl. I gaped in shock. "Son of a...what happened?"

She still couldn't meet my eyes. "You happened. You were so upset after Nico's death..."

"Oh," I murmured, and picked up a picture of four kids—one was me, the other three were unknown. I turned the picture over, and a messy scrawl read:

_Kids of the Big Three, Summer 2009: Percy, Thalia, Nico, and Scarlett_.

Sabrina walked over and smiled a little. "I remember that...it was when we won the Battle of the Labyrinth, maybe a week or so after? Everyone wanted a picture of you guys while you were still, well, _alive_, in case anything went wrong."

"Something seemed to go wrong...where is everyone in this picture?"

"Well, you're here, of course, Nico died, Thalia is MIA with the Hunters, and Percy left with Annabeth."

"Who's Annabeth? And who are the Hunters?"

"Annabeth is Percy's girlfriend, and since Percy is the son of Poseidon, he left through the lake. The Hunters are the 'immortal maidens of the lady Artemis', or something like that. Thalia is in charge of them, which is why she had to leave, or they could be done for. Cowards."

"Hmmm..."

"Yeah, I was thinking about joining the Hunters, but I thought about everyone I love turning old and dying, and me staying 17 forever."

I turned my attention back to the photo. There was a younger me, with short, shaggy brown hair, and glinting green eyes. I wore an orange camp tee, ripped black skinny jeans that were probably making my legs burn (but it didn't seem that I minded), and the black-green ring I found earlier in my room. Then, the girl next to me that I had my arm slung over, had pixie-cut black hair, piercing sapphire eyes, and a t-shirt for a band called 'The Ramones' on **(A/N: I LOVE THEM! and Green Day too, btw. Billie Joe Armstrong= rehab?!= D: no Uno/Dos/Tre concert?)**, and a pretty silver charm bracelet sparkled on her wrist . The boy next to her had chocolate brown hair, and stunning cerculean eyes. He was laughing, and poking Ramones girl in the ribs with a small stick, or a pen, or something. She was just rolling her eyes, and whispering something in my ear, which I guess made me laugh a little, from the looks of it. The last boy, leaning against the previous one, was serious, and had tousled brown hair and melty dark brown eyes. Somehow, he had found a way to get a black camp tee, and wore that, paired with a shadow-black sword that looked wicked sharp. He, despite the serious look on his face, was smiling ever so slightly, and that's when I knew that the boy must be Nico.

"That's him, isn't it? Nico? My brother?"

"Yeah, that's Nico. The boy next to him is Percy, and the girl next to you is Thalia, daughter of Zeus."

"Oh, ok."

I looked around, but there was nothing else to look at. We stood there, in thought, and she snapped back to reality. "Gods, you have to be hungry...it's already dinner time."

I hadn't even noticed, but she was right. The sun began to slowly ebb away, leaving red and orange streaks behind it. Silhouettes of kids danced across the grass, heading toward a central pavilion made of marble. A large brazier stood out, flames reaching for the sky **(Haha, Toy Story FTW!)**. Sabrina took my hand, and led me out of the desolate cabin. We started toward the already-growing line of campers, and an older, blonde boy decided to trip me, sending me tumbling into a burly girl. She falls, taking the brunt of the fall, and whacks her face on the packed dirt. I land on top of her, and she makes a sort of growling noise as I jump to my feet.

"Oh my god...I'm sorry, I didn't mean t—"

"Shut it!"

She stands shakily, but holds her ground. The campers around us look half worried, but amused and curious at the same time. The girl wields a spear, a long, sharp spear, and immediately slices my leg. I gasp in pain, but that doesn't stop her. From there, she causes long scratches down my arms and legs, knocking me to the ground. Her face looks triumphant, but confused.

"Aren't you gonna fight back, Death Girl? We have unfinished business anyway, let's settle this now!"

I grit my teeth, partly from the pain, partly from her arrogance. Sabrina yells behind me.

"The ring! Scarlett! The ring!"

_What...?_

"Or will your big brother come and fight them for you? Oh, wait, he can't, can he? Cause he's dead!"

Cue collective gasp from the crowd surrounding us. Well, isn't that just the icing on the cake?

An older camper strides up to her, an angry expression on his face. "Clarisse, *stop. She doesn't deserve this."

"Yes, she does," Clarisse cries, advancing even closer to me,"and she'll get it!"

"SQUEEZE THE RING!" my so-called best friend shrieks.

I do, and almost impale myself in the face with a double-edged, midnight blue sword, almost glowing in the creeping darkness.

Clarisse jumps back a few steps, and I stumble to my feet, sword at arms length. Somehow, I knew that when she attacked next that I needed to parry, then feint a blow and instead stomp on her foot and elbow her in the ribs.

So I did.

The girl howled with pain, and angrily swiped her spear, tearing open my forearm. She then threw a few punches at my jaw, and fireworks exploded before my eyes. I collapsed back to the ground, my energy spent.

By now, pretty much every camper was around us, watching in horror. Blood, both mine and hers, was everywhere, coating our bodies like sadistic war paint. The boy from earlier, who tried to stop Clarisse, suddenly came into my line of sight, scooped me up, and sprinted, leaving her screaming in anger.

"Gods, for someone so skinny, you're heavy, Scarlett!"

I just groaned, my eyes slowly closing.

He stops at a cabin, one with golden trimming, so bright it makes my eyes close even more. When he barges in, only one girl is there, writing, and doesn't look startled at all. The girl takes one look at me, one look at him, and simply says "Go ahead."

That's all he needs, since he plops me down on a bed, slams the door shut, and opens an old, wood cabinet next to an equally old desk. He rummages through, and returns back to me with a Tupperware container of brownies, and a plastic tumbler of something brown and smoothie-like.

There's banging at the door, and the girl writing jolts up, pushing the desk in front of it. "You better be quick, that won't last long."

"We'll be out in a second, I just have to get her some ambrosia and gauze."

The pain is intense, I can't even feel the sticky blood on me anymore. In fact, now all pain is leaving, and I'm floating, floating away from the bed in the cabin, and to a dark boat, where a man sits. I close my eyes, tiredness seeping through my muscles. I feel so calm now, I suppress a smile. Darkness envelops my vision—

And the loss of pain subsides. My eyes snapped open. Immediately, all my nerves are shrieking, and it's like Clarisse is shoving her spear into me, over, and over, and over. I groan, louder this time, and something chewy is shoved into my mouth.

"Chew," a harsh voice orders, and I reluctantly chew and swallow the food, and start to feel better. The brownie mess was like Garrett's popcorn, and it reminded me of home.

"More," my hoarse voice cries, "I need more!"

"No. You'll burn up."

"Please!"

"I don't care how much you're going to ask; the answer is still no."

I slumped down, defeated. While he pushes a bunk in front of the bulging door, I observe the guy that helped me. He towers over the bed I'm lying on, easily six feet tall. His clothes are all black, defining his muscles and showing a peek of a long, white scar running down his shoulder and under his tank. Tattoos mar his skin, things like "Pain is weakness", grenades, and barbed wire. Even with that, though, he wasn't harsh or mean,not leaving me out for Clarisse to beat me up. When he turns around, I look at his face. More scars are all over his face and neck, especially one right above his left eye, stretching to the tip of his nose. Brown eyes stare back at me, and he frowns. "What are you doing?"

I snap out of analyze mode.

"Nothing...I guess..."

"Yeah, okay, nothing. You know I nearly saved your life out there, right? Don't expect me to do it again."

"Ok, I wasn't going to ask you to."

"Good. And, Scarlett?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. About your brother."

"Thanks. I don't remember him, though. I wish I could, but I just don't."

The writing girl lifts her head again, but doesn't say a word.

"What do you mean?"

"It's like, amnesia. I vaguely remember everyone, but they're all a jumbled, nonsensical mess."

I jump—more pounding at the door. I wince, and prop myself up in bed with my elbow, the pain fading to a slow, dull throb.

"Do you remember me?"

"No."

He points to himself. "Marcus. Son of Ares, and I'm probably one of the oldest here."

"How old?"

"22. Percy, the sea scum, is only, I think, 20. Nico is—was...ehhh...18, give or take. It's hard to tell now...I believe you're 17, and Lizzie over there is 16."

The girl blushes, and her face turns bright barn door red. "It's Elizabeth, not Lizzie!"

"Ok, Betsy. Anyway, since I have no idea whatsoever on how to get you out of this cabin _alive_, we need to wait them out."

"Wait them out? That's not likely," Elizabeth said, skeptical of his plan, "They'll have this cabin knocked over any minute now."

"By the way, what did I do that pissed them off so much? I don't even know any of those kids..."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Duh, they're Ares kids. Everyone knows they're trouble. You don't mess with them...or, for that matter, us. Apollo kids will have you spewing out poetry left and right."

Marcus shot her a warning glare. "I am here, right?"

"No. You're an impostor of Marcus Fuller, the oldest of the old, and the ugliest of the ugly," the daughter of Apollo retorted, and she smirked into her notebook.

"Are we friends?" I ask Elizabeth, curious.

"Not the closest, but close enough."

"Good. You seem like someone I would be friends with."

"Yeah, I'm friends with Sabrina and Ash, too. Both are cool."

"Who's Ash?"

Marcus—while leaning against the door—butts in. "A Hecate chick; Hecate deals with magic. She can like, give you a permanent wedgie if she wanted to, but she's too nice. Not a mean bone in her body!"

Elizabeth snorts.

"Yeah, cause her personality is the only thing you're thinking about. She's like, Southern beauty queen gorgeous. Every guy in camp is drooling over her. Well, her, and Jezebel. Her mom's Mnem—that's it!"

"What?" Marcus and I yell at the same time. He glares at me, I glare back, daring him to reply.

"Mnemosyne. The goddess of memory? Maybe Jez can help you!"

*Brilliant!

"Good idea—"

That was when the doors flew off their hinges, and the rest of the Ares cabin stormed in to make my day even worse.

* * *

Again, long chap, but was it worth it?

Cam


End file.
